Effanel Music Surrounds The Grammy's
(Effanel | Posted 2003-03-17)
The 5.1/HDTV CBS telecast of the 45th Annual GRAMMY® Awards from Madison Square Garden on February 23 has been hailed as a major technical and creative achievement in both the sound and look of television. Manhattan-based location recording specialists Effanel Music, under the direction of company President Randy Ezratty who was also the show’s 5.1 Sound Designer, provided the 5.1 and stereo music mixes.
“I was basically given a blank sheet of paper for this one,” stated Ezratty. “The Recording Academy encouraged me to take chances in terms of spatial content. From what we could tell from hundreds of viewer comments, people were thrilled to be hearing a true 5.1 mix of a three-hour live broadcast”.
Sonically, the main attractions were the sixteen live performances spanning many musical genres. Along with the standard stereo mixes, ambitious 5.1 music mixes were generated in “L7,” Effanel’s all-digital mobile recording studio. John Harris, whose credits include MTV “Unplugged,” numerous VH1 “Storytellers,” A&E “Live By Request” series, and Jay Vicari, whose clients include Saturday Night Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, HBO, and the MTV Video Music Awards, shared the responsibilities of the music mixes.
In addition, Effanel’s newest mobile unit, “OSR1,” was configured as a separate 5.1 production control room. Ezratty, along with Effanel’s Joel Singer, combined the performance mixes, along with the show’s other live and taped elements, to create the Dolby® E-encoded 5.1 output to the CBS/HD Network.
“The NARAS TV Committee includes industry legends like Phil Ramone, Hank Neuberger, Leslie Ann Jones, Joe Chiccarelli, and Murray Allen,” says Ezratty. “Needless to say, it was a bit daunting to know these audio heavyweights had their names attached to this project. To their credit, there was a willingness, win or lose, to make a bold sonic statement. Based on all the positive feedback, it seems we won!”.
Although Effanel broke new ground in terms of broadcast audio, the company is comprised of seasoned pros when it comes to surround sound. Effanel’s impressive list of DVD recording and/or mix credits include: Elevation 2001, Live From Boston (U2), Drowned World Tour 2001 (Madonna), Listener Supported (Dave Matthews Band), Live in Vegas (Phish), Supernatural Live (Santana), An All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson, Live From The Beacon Theater (James Taylor), Eric Clapton and Friends, Live, and Korn, Live From The Hammerstein, NYC.
For more information on the complete range of services from Effanel Music, Contact:
Joel Singer or Jane Marvin, Effanel Music, (212) 807-1100. Or on the web at
